Cub Cadet XT2 won't engage drive or reverse

Hi Folks,

I have a cub cadet XT2 (13WFAICT010) that doesn't want to engage in FWD or RVS. A couple weeks back I turned it on and it started sluggishly moving only at high throttle with a bit of a creeky sound, then it settled it self out. After mowing the lawn I moved into the garage to investigate. I dropped the deck and noticed the drive belt seem loose. I ordered a replacement belt, but when I installed the new belt it was also the same level of "loose." Per the diagram I have the belt routed through the two pulleys correctly. If I push the brake down the pulley system moves and changes the position of the belt.

Any thoughts?

Your brake may not be releasing fully, or the drive belt tensioner pulley spring may have come off or have something jamming it. The belt should be fairly tight with the brake released.

The tension springs seem to be fine.

If the belt is the correct length and size, and routed correctly, and is still loose and slipping, then the problem has to be somewhere in the pulleys. Either it's the tensioner pulley not tensioning enough, worn bearings, worn pulleys, or a bent shaft somewhere in the system of the drive belt and pulleys. It's a fairly simple system to troubleshoot. I have a very similar 2015 XT1 LT, with the same belt and pulley system. I'll look at it tomorrow.

The pulleys show no signs of wear. The tractor has only 39 hours on it and is used over normal terrain. I would suspect you are right and it has to do with the tensioning, but I cannot see another way in which those pulley should be oriented. Argh!

quantumspores said:

The pulleys show no signs of wear. The tractor has only 39 hours on it and is used over normal terrain. I would suspect you are right and it has to do with the tensioning, but I cannot see another way in which those pulley should be oriented. Argh!

Click to expand...

I looked at my similar lawn tractor. When the parking brake is engaged, the drive belt is very loose. When released, the belt is tight, only about an inch of side play. Your problem likely lies in the brake mechanism not fully releasing. Either something like a stick is blocking it somewhat, or it is binding in some way, maybe from dirt, rust or debris in the mechanism that lets it swing freely. I would work the parking brake rapidly a number of times, then release, and see if the belt tightens. You stated in an early post that it was slow at first, then functioned normally as you mowed. The vibration and jostling from mowing likely allowed the tightening mechanism to slide and function. When you stopped and pushed the brake, it hung or bound up again.

Remove the left wheel for better access.
There is a rod with a spring attached to it that hooks into a lever on your left side .
This is the brake rod.
The brakes on your tranny are inside so not servicale
Check that the arm on the end of the spring goes fully backwards.
As John has already mentioned there could be a bit of debris stuck in there
If all is OK then take off the right wheel.
There are two control rods in front of you.
A thin one that pokes out the back.
That is the bypass rod and must be fully forward, again work it a few times & check for debris.
On your right side is the direction & speed control lever check that when the pedal is pressed the lever goes all the way to the stop in both directions.

While you are in there grab the pulley and check that it is fixed to the input shaft.
A lot of them are on a light spline which is easily damaged.
And naturally check the belt is sitting in the V or the pulley and not tuck between the pulley & the fan.

As previously mentioned the pulley must be slack when the clutch/brake pedal is fully depressed to allow the drive belt to slip or you will be trying to drive & brake at the same time.
With the clutch/brake pedal in the drive position you should just be able to turn the engine ( till it get to TDC on compression ) over by turning the tranny pulley.
If not then the belt tensioning system is not working properly.

To the original poster: Please keep us updated as to what you find. It will help others looking for solutions to similar problems. Thanks.

Thanks all. I will continue troubleshooting throughout the week. Just one note. With the brake engaged and the transmission in neutral I cannot push the mower forwards or backwards. With the brake disengaged I have no issues pushing the mower. It would seem unlikely the brake is stuck and at fault given that finding.

Just to make sure we are all singing from the same song sheet.
Is your mower a hydro trans or a varidrive ?
The numbers you quoted did not bring up a parts breakdown but 020 did.